


Once upon a fairy-tale

by Marine226



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, First Kiss, Heavy Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mental Anguish, Permanent Injury, Pre-Slash, dark themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:41:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marine226/pseuds/Marine226
Summary: ****COMPLETED*****Danny's badly injured in an accident, Steve blames himself...
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 24
Kudos: 187





	1. Chapter 1

Joe White got out of his car, balancing the two coffee cups and a Gatorade. He supressed a sigh as he moved through the small camp on the outskirts of the city, next to the water. He wished more would be done to help out the homeless who lived here, but the fact of the matter was that at least for some, this was a choice.

He stopped at one of the shelters, signified by a couple of canvasses strung together next to a tree and some bushes, and peered inside. The occupant was asleep, half lying in the bush that his shelter backed up against. His hair – both on top of his head, and on his face – had grown substantially and looked unkept.

“Wakey wakey” Joe said softly, not wanted to spook him.

Steve’s eyes flickered open, going from alert then to weariness as he recognised Joe. Before Steve could tell him to bugger off, Joe thrust the Gatorade at him and sat down. Steve cautiously took the bottle, leaning against his elbow as he quickly drained the bottle. Once he was done with the drink, he tossed it next to the collection of bottles and cans that lay in front of the opening to the shelter.

“You should clean that up, don’t wanna attract cockroaches” Joe remarked.

His only response was a grunt. Joe looked back at his friend, to find him staring at him in confusion. But rather than address that question, Joe passed him one of the coffee cups, waiting until Steve finished shuffling into a sitting position before letting go of the cup.

They sat in silence as they drank the coffees and watched the waves roll in. Joe could easily convince himself he was sitting with Steve out the back of his father’s house, but the noise of the tarp blowing gently in the wind and of other people nearby reminded him of where he was, and of why.

“Nice view” Joe finally said.

He saw Steve nod out of the corner of his eye, then finally he spoke, “Reminds me of Afghanistan”

Joe looked at the waves lapping at the shore and frowned, but when he looked at the expanse of the sand that stretched as far as the eye could see, he could see the truth of Steve’s words. A large sand dune to their left could nearly be mistaken for some of the sand dunes that they had traversed in Afghanistan. 

“Is that why you chose here?” Joe asked him.

But Steve didn’t respond, he was gazing out over the sand and his eyes had taken on a far away look that Joe had seen in so many other soldiers. Then he flinched back and seemed to come back to himself.

“I prefer the view from your house” Joe finally said, hoping that at least would get Steve talking.

“I can’t go back there” Steve said quietly, “Not after…”

Joe sighed, “You know Danny doesn’t blame you”

Steve shrugged, “Well, he should”

They lapsed into silence again as Joe tried to think of something, anything to say to make the other man come home. But he wasn’t the first to try. And he suspected he wouldn’t be the last.

“He was discharged from hospital yesterday” Joe told him, watching Steve’s face closely.

Steve turned his head away, then nodded, saying gruffly, “That’s good”

“He’s been asking about you” Joe pressed.

“Why are you here, Joe?” Steve asked instead of rising to the bait, turning reddened eyes back to Joe.

“Trying to stop you from self-flagellation” Joe responded, “What happened wasn’t your fault – ”

“Yes, it was!” Steve interrupted, then threw the half-empty coffee cup he still had, “You should leave”

“Steve – ”

“I said go!!!” Steve shouted at him, pointing his finger in emphasis.

Joe sighed heavily and got up, seeing that he wasn’t going to win this round. “You know, if you keep pushing people away who care about you, at some point, they’ll stop trying” he remarked, “Just something to think about”

“Maybe I don’t need anyone” Steve responded.

Joe felt Steve’s eyes on his back as he left the area. But when he finally turned around, Steve was staring out at the ocean, numbly taking the cap off a beer bottle.


	2. Chapter 2

_Steve glanced at himself in the mirror and fiddled with his hair for a moment, trying to get it to sit neatly. He suppressed a sigh, hoping this would be the last outfit he would have to put on. He nearly regretted asking Danny to help him choose the best outfit, but he loved having the man’s undivided attention. Steve grinned and came out of the closet with his arms spread wide._

_“Tell me this is it” Steve stated, his voice bordering on pleading._

_Danny hummed for a moment, his face giving nothing away, then said, “Put your arms down, you look ridiculous. Put the hat on”_

_“Danny, we’re inside, you don’t wear your cover when your inside” Steve argued._

_“Do you want my help or not? Put the hat on” Danny insisted._

_Steve rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. Danny grinned in return and motioned for him to turn around._

_“Yep, this is it. I always said you look hot in your Navy gear, dress blues or whites, I don’t care” Danny finally gave the verdict as he stood up from the chair he’d been sitting in for the past hour. “Who are you trying to impress anyway?”_

_“Someone special” Steve hedged. He wanted to look good for the Governor’s shindig, but only because Danny had to go as well._

_“Anyone I know?” Danny asked, then motioned for Steve to come closer, “Come here, your tie’s a mess”_

_Danny fiddled with the tie until he was happy with it. He was so close that Steve could smell the coffee he’d had earlier on Danny’s breath. As Danny finally stopped fiddling with the tie, he looked up at Steve and saw how close they were standing._

_Steve licked his lips and closed the gap between them, then finally, gloriously, kissed the man he’d fallen in love with the moment they’d met._

Steve woke with a gasp. He stayed lying down in his shelter as he touched his fingers to his lips, the lingering feeling of Danny’s lips on his. The next scene played out in his mind’s eye as though he was watching a movie at the cinema.

_Steve backed Danny up until the other man’s legs hit the side of the bed, then pushed him down onto it. At some stage, Danny had lost his shirt and Steve had shed his jacket and tie. Steve quickly got rid of his shirt and crawled onto the bed after Danny._

_Danny pulled him down to kiss him as soon as he was close, and their tongues duelled even as they tried to get out of their pants. Then Steve lowered his body on top of Danny’s, gasping when their cocks lined up. He thrust his hips into Danny’s and swallowed Danny’s moan. They’d waited far too long for this._

“No!” Steve gasped, trying to stop the memory from playing out. He sat up abruptly and grabbed the bottle of whisky he’d bought yesterday for emergencies such as this. 

He undid the cap and drank deeply from the bottle, only stopping when he started choking. He wiped his eyes, he would have been ashamed that his eyes were moist, but he just didn’t care anymore. He lifted the bottle again and drank deeply. Looking at the bottle afterwards revealed he’d emptied half of it, he just hoped it would be enough to forget. But almost as though he’d jinxed it, the next scene jumped into his head.

_Steve stopped kissing Danny and listened hard. He’d heard a noise from downstairs and he wasn’t expecting anyone._

_“What is it?” Danny asked, picking up on the tenseness of Steve’s body._

_Then they heard it, the unmistakeable noise of someone moving around downstairs. Steve jumped off Danny and grabbed his pistol, whispering “Stay here”_

_Danny just gave him a look as he grabbed his own pistol, then motioned to the other side of the door. Danny briefly glanced at Steve’s boxers and raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t in any better position, so he let it be. “After you”_

Steve shook his head, willing the visions to stop. He couldn’t keep going through this! He wished he could take it all back. He wished he could have saved Danny. Why didn’t he just handcuff the other man to the bed? Then none of this would have happened. 

_Steve moved into the study and saw the guy, “Freeze! Five-0, what – ” but before Steve could finish, he felt someone move from behind him. He whirled around just as another guy swung a baseball bat at him. Steve brought his arm up to defend himself, the bat smacking over his forearm._

Steve smacked his head with his hand. He just wanted it to stop! He smacked himself again and again, hoping the pain, if nothing else would distract him. But there was no such luck…

_Steve had lost his pistol, it had fallen during the fight. He was now trading blows with the two attackers, trying to get the upper hand, but these guys were trained. He heard the sounds of Danny in his own fight in the corridor._

_Steve finally got the upper hand and using one of the attackers knives, dispatched one of the guys. He saw his pistol on the floor and dived for it, hoping he had enough time before the other guy got back up._

“Stop, stop, stop” Steve begged, resting his face in his hands. He couldn’t go on like this. He tried to focus on the sound of the waves crashing to shore, but the more he tried to ignore what was going on inside his head, the louder it became. 

_Steve and the guy were wrestling, trying to get control of the pistol. They’d both tried dirty tactics, but neither had gained the upper hand, yet._

Steve felt bile rushing in his throat and quickly got to his knees and vomited outside his shelter. The whisky felt worse coming up then it did going down. It burned and left a horrible taste in his mouth. Maybe that was because he hadn’t eaten anything in days, and the only things he had to drink were beer, whisky and Gatorade.

Steve sat back down and leant against the tree. He closed his eyes and heard the echo of the gun going off. He heard it every time he closed his eyes. And his finger itched from where he’d pulled the trigger, as if he needed the reminder.

_“Danny!” Steve roared when he saw Danny go down._

_Steve shouted in frustration and finally got full control of the pistol, then shot the intruder twice at point blank range. He didn’t stop to make sure the guy was dead, instead he ran to Danny’s side and immediately thought the worst when he saw his friend laying in a pool of blood._

_“Steve” Danny gasped, the exhaled word sending blood flying from his mouth._

_“Don’t talk, Danny. I’ve… I’ve gotta call an ambulance. Keep pressure here” Steve pressed Danny’s hand to his chest and quickly ran to the alarm system, pressing the button for the medical help._

Steve let the tears fall freely down his face and couldn’t help the sob breaking free from his chest. He just hoped it would be the last time he would have to relive what happened…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Danny pushed his thumb into his thigh muscle and massaged it as deeply as he could, trying to get what felt like a cramp to go away. He couldn’t help the groan escape from his lips as the pain increased. Nothing he did would help. His legs permanently felt like someone was dragging a scorching hot poker stick over them. The physios and the doctors said it should fade with time, but how much time was ‘time’?

Abandoning his quest to massage his legs into submission, Danny popped the cap of his painkillers and downed the couple of pills that he shook into his hand. A temporary fix, but at least the damned things worked. He just dreaded the day that the doctors refused to prescribe a repeat prescription for the things. 

Sighing heavily, Danny glanced at the bed one more time, wishing that he crawl back in there and pull the covers over his head. He still hoped that he would just wake up and find that the last two months had been some insane nightmare. But for the meantime, he had a friend – an almost lover – to save. 

Danny wheeled himself out of the bedroom and immediately smelt the delightful smell of someone cooking eggs and undertones of fresh coffee. He followed his nose to the kitchen and found Joe standing in front of the stove, with a spatula in his hand. 

“You know, in all the time I’ve known you, I never knew you could cook” Danny commented as he stopped the chair at the entrance to the kitchen.

Joe turned around with a smile on his face, “Who do you think taught Steve?”

Danny shrugged, “The Navy”

Joe snorted, “Well then, in that case, _I_ was the Navy. Coffee?”

“Yeah, please. So I have you to blame for the office always smelling of eggs or tuna?” Danny asked, “You do know Steve microwaves his eggs, right?”

Joe smile widened, “Not my fault he wasn’t listening when I tried to teach him”

Joe gave Danny his coffee and the two men lapsed into silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Joe looked at his watch and remarked, “Lou should be returning with Mary anytime soon”

Danny nodded, he knew that Mary had booked the next available flight to Hawaii after she’d briefly spoken to Steve. Apparently her brother had called her and reminded her that she was in his will to take over the house if anything should happen to him. She hadn’t asked him if he was talking about committing suicide, but she’d been freaked out enough to call Danny in tears. Danny had talked to Duke, who sent HPD officers to check on Steve, but Steve had given them no reason for them to take him to a hospital. So they were back at square one. The man just refused to be helped.

“Is Joannie with her?” Danny asked.

“No, she’s staying with a friend” Joe answered as he plated up the fried breakfast.

“That’s probably a good thing” Danny remarked, “You know, not having a child around whilst Steve is … doing whatever he’s doing”

“He needs a good kick up the backside” Joe responded.

“And who better to do that than his baby sis?” Danny asked, but it was more of a statement.

Joe watched Danny as he put the plates on the table and sat down, “I was thinking you”

“Me?” Danny asked.

Joe nodded and took a sip of his coffee, “He blames himself for what happened to you”

“He shot me is what happened” Danny corrected him, but when Joe went to speak, Danny added, “Accidentally”

“But you don’t blame him?” Joe asked, carefully watching Danny’s reaction.

Danny sighed deeply, “Look Joe, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t pissed, but it wasn’t Steve’s fault. It’s not like he just stood up one day, took aim and shot me; three men broke into his house! We fought the intruders, there was a scuffle and … well…”

“And now you’re in a wheelchair for the rest of your life” Joe summarised.

Danny huffed a breath, “Whatever the outcome, we fought, scuffle, then what happened happened. End of story. If the intruders hadn’t come in, this wouldn’t have happened. Steve can’t blame himself for that unless he invited them in”

“Well then, they wouldn’t be intruders would they? They’d be guests” Joe remarked, shoving some eggs into his mouth.

“That is a technicality, my friend” Danny responded, but gave a small grin.

The two lapsed into silence as they ate their breakfast, the only sound coming from the room was that of their knives and forks against their plates. Danny was just finishing his last mouthful when he heard a loud knocking, followed shortly thereafter by the door opening and voices calling in greeting.

“Hunny, I’m home!” Lou’s voice travelled down the corridor, “I picked up a stray, hope you don’t mind”

“Hey! You were the one looking lost, Mister!” Mary’s unmistakable voice came soon after, then the two appeared in the doorway.

“Mary! It’s been too long!” Danny greeted her with a hug.

“Oh my goodness, Danny!” Mary responded, hugging him back and clinging on longer than necessary.

“Hey, I’m okay, I’m alive” Danny soothed her, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

“I know” Mary replied, before finally stepping back, “It’s just… I mean, Lou told me what to expect, but…”

“Oh, this?” Danny gestured at his chair, with a grin, “Yeah, it’s all very dramatic. You should see the contraption above the bed to help me get in and out”

“And there’s no chance at all that… I mean, will you ever…?” Mary started a few times, but clearly didn’t know how to phrase what she wanted to ask.

“Walk again? No, that….” Danny wanted to make another joke, but it fell from his lips unspoken. He still found it hard to grasp the reality of his situation, so he just settled on sticking to the facts, “No, I’m paralysed from my waist down. The bullet severed my spinal cord …”

Danny tried to say more, but the words wouldn’t come. He needed to stick to the facts; the location of the vertebrae that was severed, the effects, changes to his lifestyle, medications…

“Oh my goodnesss” Mary murmured, her eyes shining with unshed tears, “I’m so sorry, Danny”

“Wasn’t your fault” Danny reminded her gently.

“God, no wonder Steve isn’t coping” Mary answered.

“Well, I mean, it could’ve been worse. At least I still have control of my hands” Danny said, wiggling his hands to demonstrate, then quickly wiped at his eyes, which also had unshed tears. “Okay, enough with the emotional wrenching, let’s go save my partner from himself”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay! Real life and all that who-hah.
> 
> I'm in no way any kind of medical expert, so apologies if there's any inaccuracies in this chapter or the others.
> 
> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought! :P


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one today, my muse has taken off and left me high and dry... But never fear! I know where I want to take it from here. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you thought! :P

Danny filtered out the sounds of Joe admonishing Jerry for driving like a granny, not that he was wrong. Instead he focussed on the people walking on the sidewalks as they drove by, wondering if maybe he’d catch sight of his partner walking amongst them. Steve had a recognisable gait that Danny would be able to pick from miles away. But there was no sign of him. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? I could get out and walk faster” Joe’s voice brought Danny back to the present.

“We have precious cargo, I’m just taking it slow and steady so we get there safely” Jerry defended himself.

“Speaking of getting there, I want to talk to him on my own” Danny announced, before the two could get back into their argument.

Joe nodded, “I agree, don’t want to scare him off”

“Well having five of us here will do just that” Danny remarked, “Not to mention everything with this car”

“What’s wrong with this car?” Jerry asked.

“Hey man, you know I love it, and it definitely makes it easier to get in and out when I can just roll the wheelchair. But Steve’s struggling enough with me being a paraplegic without rubbing it in his face with a purpose-built van” Danny answered.

“I agree, but wouldn’t it be worse if he saw you get carried into a car?” Joe asked.

“At least he wouldn’t be reminded of it anytime he looked at me whilst we are in the car – I mean, if we even get that far” Danny responded.

“We will, he’s coming home today” Joe told him, removing any doubt from Danny’s mind about the fact. Joe had always had that effect on him, if Joe said so, then it was true …. Well, probably true. There was always that unforgettable time that he lied to Steve for years… But this was different.

The men in the car lapsed into silence again, each lost in their own thoughts. The only sounds came from Joe as he gave directions to Jerry. Eventually Jerry pulled the car to a stop at the area that Joe pointed out, but before Danny could even unplug the seat-belt, Joe told him to wait.

Joe quickly got out of the car and made his way to where Steve had set up his temporary shelter, but found the tarps and Steve’s possessions were gone. As Joe looked around the area, he noticed an elderly woman watching him, so he went over and introduced himself.

“Hi there, I’m Joe White” Joe said, holding his hand out to the lady.

The lady didn’t take his hand as she responded, “I know who you are, seen you here before”

Joe retracted his hand and pointed to where Steve had been before, “Yeah, I uh, I’m worried about my friend, Steve. Do you know where he is?”

The lady shrugged, “Said he needed to do some thinking. Gave back one of the tarps I gave him, asked if he could borrow the other”

Joe nodded, but wondered why Steve want to keep the tarp – for shelter? Or because he’d decided to kill himself and didn’t want to make a mess? Both were plausible… “He didn’t say where he was going?”

“No, but he went that way. You’ve only just missed him, left about an hour ago” the lady responded.

“Thank you” Joe said, then made his way back to the cars.

Mary was standing by the open door to where Danny was, looking nervous, “Is he here?”

“No, he’s gone walkabout. Apparently, he went that way” Joe responded, pointing in the direction the lady had pointed. At the same time, he wondered if she was leading them down the garden path… “Let’s split up; we’ll go that way, you two, you back the way we came. Call as soon as you find something”

Joe didn’t want to tell the team about his suspicions, he just knew they needed to find Steve sooner rather than later. 

Mary and Lou went back to their car and sped back off in the opposite direction, whilst Joe got back into the van and sighed as they slowly made their way out of the parking lot. He turned to look at Danny, “I think you’ll need to use all of your powers of persuasion for this one”

“Check, my powers are at 100%” Danny responded with a small smile, which faded a bit when he saw the expression on Joe’s face, “I’ll do what I can”


	5. Chapter 5

“Yeah, that’s him” Joe said, sounding far more confidant than anyone should given the distances they were talking about. The man said it like it was a fact. As far as Danny could see, the only fact was that they were looking at a blue spot on the beach. The blue spot was apparently the blue canvass.

“Are you sure?” Danny questioned anyway, he didn’t like the idea of going down the steep path (or more to the point, getting back up). And not to mention trying to traverse the sand in the chair. 

Joe nodded, with a finality that Danny could only marvel at, “He’s sitting on the sand, next to the canvass”

“You can see that from here?” Danny asked dubiously, turning the chair so he could face Joe.

“I can’t see anything” Jerry pitched in helpfully.

“Call the other team, let them know they can call off the search” Joe responded, totally disregarding that nobody else could see as far as he could. “Danny and I will go down there, nobody else comes down until we give the go-ahead, don’t want to scare the guy into doing something stupid”

“Oh sure, we’ll go down there” Danny said, emphasizing the last word as he subconsciously played with the gloves he’d put on to protect his hands from the wheels of the chair.

“I’ll help push the chair” Joe said.

“I don’t think I’ll need any help with acceleration, thank you Joe!” Danny exclaimed.

“I meant over the sand, hell, I can carry ya” Joe responded, “But if going down the hill worries you; I can help there too. But I know one thing, we need to get down there… And more you than me”

Danny grumbled, but finally capitulated, after all, the man was right. And true to his word, Joe helped him down the path, making sure the chair didn’t gain too much speed and rocket off the cliff face. When they got to the bottom, Danny looked up and realised that Joe had been right, it was Steve who was sitting there.

Joe looked at him questioningly, wordlessly asking for permission to carry him to where Steve was sitting. Danny gave a small nod, trying to come to terms with the fact that this was a thing now. As Joe set him down next to Steve, the other man finally took notice of his surroundings and realised he wasn’t alone.

“Danny?” Steve asked in shock.

“Who else were you expecting, babe?” Danny responded.

“I’ll leave you two alone” Joe announced after silence settled between the two men. 

“You didn’t have to come here” Steve

“You didn’t really leave me a choice, Steve. What the hell’s the matter with you?” Danny asked, but without his usual gestures, “You don’t call, you don’t write”

Steve played with the sand at his feet, but didn’t say anything. Danny was tempted to stay silent and wait him out, but he had a feeling that they would be waiting a long time – or at least until Danny would have to leave to take his meds. But it wouldn’t serve anyone any good if they didn’t at least talk.

“Everyone’s worried about you, babe” Danny finally broke the silence that had settled between the two of them.

“Yeah, worried that I’m going to shoot them” Steve said, clearly aiming for humour, but failing miserably.

Danny ignored the comment, it wasn’t worth the argument that would inevitably follow. They had already had that argument; they didn’t need to repeat it. He subconsciously kneaded his left hand as it started to cramp up, a side effect of one of the drugs he was on.

“That still giving you grief?” Steve murmured, his eyes not leaving Danny’s hands.

Danny nodded, “Got a blood test in a few days, hopefully I can lower the dose”

Steve nodded and stared back at the sand again, letting the silence descend on them once more. Sometimes talking to Steve was like trying to draw water from a rock. Sighing softly, Danny asked what he should have asked to begin with, “When are you coming home?”

“Didn’t think you’d want me around” Steve muttered.

“ – you didn’t think - ! Why the hell would you think that?!” Danny finally exclaimed, his frustration at the whole situation getting the better of him, “Goddammit Steve! After everything that we’ve been through, I need you around more than ever! I need you here as my friend, Steve, to tell me that everything’s going to be okay! I need you as the leader of five-0, to tell me that there’s still a place for me there!”

“You still want to work there?” Steve asked in a small voice.

“Yes!!! My legs may be fucked, but there’s nothing wrong with my brain! I can still do office work! But you know what, Steve? More than anything, I need you as the more-than-friends friend to tell me that you still love me!” Danny exclaimed angrily, “Goddammit Steve, this isn’t just about you! You selfish bastard! I got discharged from hospital a few days ago, and you wanna know who picked me up?! I’ll give you a clue, it wasn’t my partner, my best friend, my maybe-lover, Steve!

“It was Lou! And you know I love that guy, but it should have been you! I got discharged from hospital and I should have been focussing on rehab and how do I deal with EVERYTHING that’s changed! But no, instead I was focussed on ‘where’s Steve?’ and PRAYING that you haven’t gone and done something stupid, like commit suicide!”

“I’m not suicidal” Steve objected quietly.

“Oh really? What’s the canvass for, Steve, huh? And why did you just disappear from that community up the road?” Danny asked

“It’s for shelter, Danny. And I don’t know, okay? I figured I needed to stop doing whatever I was doing there, but I hadn’t decided yet… I was thinking of going up into the mountains, I stopped here to think” Steve admitted.

“And you didn’t think about just coming home?!” Danny exclaimed.

“Of course I did, Danny. But like I said, didn’t think I was welcome” Steve said petulantly.

Danny sighed heavily, trying to rein in his emotions. He had to handle Steve with kid gloves sometimes to get the guy to do what he wanted to do. “Of course you’re welcome, Steven. Look, I … I want you to come home, I want you to stop with this… whatever you’re trying to do here. We got the raw end of a shitty deal, okay? Both of us. Can we… Let’s deal with it together, okay? You help me, I help you, you help me some more…”

Steve gave a small grin, but kept his eyes down focussed. At least he was starting to get through to the guy.

“I mean, I know that we’re not going to just fix everything overnight, but we gotta start somewhere, babe. What do you say, huh? Can we go home?” Danny asked.

Steve just played with the sand for a moment, before finally asking, “We?”

“Yes babe, I said ‘we’. I’m not leaving here until you do. And didn’t your parents ever tell you not to answer a question with a question?” Danny responded.

“You don’t want to stay here, Danny. It’s not safe” Steve told him.

“Oh good, because I’ve got sand in my ass and I don’t really want to stay here any longer than strictly necessary” Danny responded with relief, “Okay, good, let’s go then”

Steve looked at him in disbelief, “Danny, I’m not going anywhere”

“Did you not just - ?!” Danny grunted in frustration, then grabbed the front of Steve’s shirt and abruptly pulled the man close enough to him that he was able to capture his mouth in a kiss. He put everything he felt- all of his frustrations, hope, anger, excitement - into the kiss to try to make him understand. He pushed his tongue into Steve’s mouth until the other man finally got with the program, then just as abruptly, he pushed Steve away.

“Wha- ?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know how else to get through to you” Danny answered, “You’re a man of action, not words, so… Can we go now?”

Steve just blinked owlishly at him for a moment, then incredibly asked, “Did you mean it?”

Danny was sure he returned Steve’s look of bewilderment, with a touch of amazement, but he answered, “Have you ever known me not to mean something when I say it?”

“Now who’s answering a question with a question” Steve murmured, getting a grin from Danny in return. 

“Okay” Steve said, then sighed heavily as he got to his feet.

“Really? That’s all I needed to say? I said all of those things, and that’s what gets you moving? Huh?” Danny exclaimed, not wanting to jinx it, but also not being able to help himself.

“Do you want a lift back to your chair or not?” Steve asked, gesturing to the chair that still sat at the bottom of the ramp.

“I want so many things…” Danny responded, his eyes travelling up and down Steve’s body suggestively, “But we’ll start with that”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's hoping that this hit the mark, took longer than expected, more because real life stuffs, but also because I didn't want it to seem unrealistic.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought! :)


	6. Chapter 6

_“I always said you look hot in your Navy gear” Danny said as he fiddled with Steve’s tie, “Who are you trying to impress anyway?”_  


_“You” Steve responded._  


_“You don’t need to impress me, babe, you already have me” Danny told him, then captured his mouth in a kiss so intense it took Steve’s breath away._  


_Then they were laying on Steve’s bed, half naked, and Steve was mauling Danny’s mouth, pouring all of his love and want for the man from eight years into each and every kiss._

_Steve was thrusting, somehow aware that he was just creating friction between their bodies, and that his cock was sliding against Danny’s body – his naked body._

_“What was that?” Danny asked, tilting his head like a lorikeet listening for prey._

_“Ignore it” Steve responded, feeling dread take over his body._

_“Someone’s in the house” Danny whispered. And suddenly, he was laying next to Steve and was fully clothed. He nearly looked frightened. “Don’t go” Danny pleaded him._

_“I have to” Steve responded, slowly getting up from the bed._

_A loud gunshot sounded, the vibrations rattling through Steve’s body. He frowned and stared at the gun in his hands, he could nearly see the small trail of smoke from the barrel and he could certainly still smell the unmistakable smell of gunpowder._

_“You shot me” Danny gasped, clutching at his chest, even as blood seeped through his clothing and dripped from his mouth._

_“Danny?” Steve asked – pleaded…_

_“Why?” Danny asked._

“Danny!” Steve gasped, startling awake. He opened his eyes and looked around the room in confusion.

“Right here” a tired voice sounded from next to him.

Steve looked down and found that Danny was snuggled next to him on the couch. His eyes wondered over the living area to the spot on the floor that was still stained – stained with Danny’s blood. 

“Stop it, babe” Danny murmured, clearly still lightly dozing, “I can hear you thinking from here”

But Steve couldn’t take his eyes off where Danny had laid, his life seeping away as the bullet continued to do damage. The bullet that he’d fired. Mistakenly or not, he was to blame for this. The thought made him feel sick. He’d nearly killed his best friend, his partner, his lover – maybe. 

“Junior and Lou are coming tomorrow to fix it” Danny mumbled, slapping his thigh for emphasis.

“What?” Steve asked, not tracking what Danny was saying.

“The floorboards” Danny responded, finally opening his eyes, “They’re going to replace them tomorrow”

“That’s not necessary” Steve responded.

“No? Because every time you look that way, you get that dark look in your eyes and I know exactly what you’re thinking” Danny told him, “Besides, I don’t like looking at them either”

Steve gazed at his partner for a moment, trying to decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry, or just hug the man. Whatever it was, he certainly made it easier to get through every day.

“You taken your meds yet?” Danny asked, with a yawn.

Steve nodded, “Took ‘em after dinner, same time you took yours”

Danny nodded and yawned again, “That’s good”

“Bed time?” Steve asked.

Danny nodded, “Yeah”

Steve chuckled softly and slowly disentangled himself from the other man, then helped him get into the chair, “What time’s physio in the morning?”

“1000h, same as always” Danny responded, “I wanted to drop by five-0 afterwards if you’re keen?”

Steve put Danny’s feet on the footrests before straightening up and considering the question, he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d get. It had been a few weeks since Danny had ‘rescued’ him and a few months since ‘the accident’, but it all still felt too raw. “I dunno, Danny” he said softly, “I mean, I could take you in - ”

“We have to go back eventually” Danny interrupted him, “Besides, I already told you, babe, they don’t blame you either”

“I’ll think about it” Steve responded, as he wheeled Danny to their bedroom – the guest room had been fitted out with their stuff, but they were still waiting on final touches.

“What does your shrink think?” Danny asked hesitantly. Steve didn’t like to admit that he needed help, so was still touchy about the subject, even though he’d been seeing the doc since the day after Danny had brought him home.

Steve sighed and parked Danny’s wheelchair by the bathroom, “I don’t want to talk about it”

“I know, that’s why I’m asking” Danny pushed, turning the chair around the face his partner.

Steve sighed again and shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, “He thinks I need to reestablish links to my normal routine; go running, swimming, surfing, work at five-0 a few days a week… He thinks…”

“What?” Danny asked.

“He said that I’ve always had structure in my life and that the lack of it now, ah, he thinks that it’s contributing to my… my…” Steve started.

“Mental state” Danny supplied helpfully. He knew Steve didn’t like using terms like depression or PTSD- not that he’d been officially diagnosed with it…

Steve nodded, “He thinks reestablishing a normal routine will help… ah, help stabilise… but… I mean, what about you?”

“What about me?” Danny asked.

“I can’t just pretend that everything is all fine and dandy, Danno” Steve responded huskily, as he tried to stop his voice from betraying his emotions, “I can’t just pretend that I didn’t do what I did to you and that… you’ll never be the same. How am I supposed to overcome something like that?”

“Same way I’m supposed to overcome this” Danny suggested, gesturing to the chair and his legs, “With time, and patience – ”

“But you’ll never walk again!” Steve interrupted, then immediately apologised, “Sorry, I should never have said that”

Danny nodded and looked down for a moment, then finally responded, “But it’s true, Steven, and we need to come to terms with it- in our own ways. I have my way, you need to find yours. But Steve, remember this, I will always love you, no matter what”

Steve pursed his lips, “An hour. I’ll take you to five-0 for an hour, if you want to stay longer, fill your boots, but I’ll take off”

Danny grinned, “I’ll take it”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! So yes, it's been a long time since I've been around. Real life got in the way a bit and my muse went on a hiatus. Here's hoping I'll be better from here on forwards.
> 
> This chapter kind of wrote itself, it took a different turn to how I originally saw the chapter going, but I think it works better than what I foresaw. I'm going to change the story tags because I don't think the 'first time' one will come to fruition, it doesn't seem right in the context of how the story's gone. 
> 
> There's one chapter left after this one.
> 
> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought! :)


	7. Chapter 7

An hour seemed like a lifetime. It seemed all well and dandy on the outside; an hour was an hour. But the closer they got to the Palace, the more _an hour_ became this never-ending timeframe, it felt like they would have to take a packed lunch just to get through it. And what was he supposed to say? What were they supposed to talk about? Obviously _the accident_ would come up, and they would talk about that – as much as Steve despised talking about it. But then what?

What he supposed to act like everything was okay now? Was he supposed to ask about their cases and take an interest? Maybe suggest a lead or two? What would happen if he didn’t? He couldn’t think of anything worse than trying to decipher why someone had killed, mauled, kidnapped or otherwise tortured somebody else. Maybe with time, but not now. Not just yet. 

So then what? Would they all just stare blankly at one another as the silence became more and more awkward. Steve liked to think that he did awkward very well, he could make anyone feel out of place if he wanted to. 

“You’re thinking too loudly” Danny grumbled from his chair.

“Someone had to fill the silence, you stopped your old-man grumbling” Steve responded, somewhat distractedly as he looked at the Palace, which got bigger with every step he took.

“Who’re you calling old?!” Danny exclaimed, but the outburst fizzled out as quickly as it had reared its head. “I’m worried” Danny admitted.

“Me too” Steve responded, slowly halting the chair as they both stared at the building, “We could come back another day”

Danny shook his head, “We’re already here. Come on, babe, you promised”

Steve sighed deeply, but restarted the move towards the Palace. Neither man spoke a word as they finally entered the building.

“Danny! Hey man! We heard what happened to ya, you good?” Dave, the security guard greeted them when they arrived.

“Yeah man, I’m good” Danny responded, with a grin, catching Dave’s hand when he held it out to shake.

“Sweet as, bro, sweet ride man. McGarrett, my man! Long time, no see” Dave said.

“Yeah, been away” Steve responded cagily.

“All good, man, all good” Dave said, as he waved them through the gate, ignoring the beeps, “Don’t worry about that boys, I know you’re good, sensor’s up too high anyways. You enjoy the rest of your day, see you around?”

“Yeah, we’ll be here. Mahalo, Dave” Danny responded.

Dave grinned and went back to his job, whilst Steve stared down at his partner, “Oh, so you’ve finally started speaking Hawaiian?”

“Like you said a while back, it’s not that hard” Danny responded with a grin, then made shooing motions, “Come on already, I want to get up to the office”

Steve rolled his eyes, but did as he was asked. He couldn’t help the grin making its way across his face, at least Danny was making an effort. 

They finally came to the double glass doors, and Steve stopped the chair just short of them.

“You ready for this, Danno?” Steve asked.

Danny snorted, “Are you?”

Steve didn’t know how to answer that, so he stayed silent, instead just staring at the doors like some kind of barrier to the rest of his life. Logically, he knew that crossing that threshold didn’t mean anything, and that the people he knew and cared for would be waiting for them both on the other end, with open arms. But something still held him back. Maybe he really wasn’t ready.

“Steven, babe. This… this is nothing. It’s nothing compared to what we’ve been through… because we’ve been through hell” Danny said, and Steve didn’t know if he was talking for him, or talking himself into it. “But we still have to do it, both of us. So what do you say?”

Steve sighed deeply, he knew what he had to do. He rested his hands on Danny’s shoulders for a moment, looking through the doors, desperately searching for an answer. 

Then he realised, he already knew the answer. “I love you, Danno” Steve said, then gripped the handles of the wheelchair and pushed them through the double doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! So I updated again! Woot Woot!
> 
> So this is pretty much it, next chapter will be an epilogue, because it doesn't feel quite done yet. There's still one more part to it.
> 
> Let me know what you thought! Feedback always welcome! Good or bad. 
> 
> This fic ended up a bit different to how I foresaw it, but I got there in the end - I think wine helps :P


	8. Chapter 8

Steve turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, his mind already jumping ahead to this evenings festivities. He couldn’t think of anything worse than schmoozing with a bunch of politicians and pretending to be interested in their dull conversations. But Danny still wanted to go.

He quickly towelled himself off and put the towel around his waist as he walked out of the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway as he spied Danny placing his dress white uniform on the bed, making sure not to crease the recently dry cleaned clothing.

“You know I can hear you hovering” Danny commented, as he brushed the jacket softly.

“I know” Steve answered, but didn’t move. 

Today was a big day for both of them, but more so for Danny. Today was a year – to the day – since _the accident_. Not only was it the same Ball that they were getting ready for, but it was the same date. The Governor had decided to hold the Ball on the Friday night instead of a Saturday night. It was like Groundhog day, except with a fundamental difference. A like-changing difference.

Danny had been reserved all day, not quite carrying the same energy that he normally had. Not that he’d admit to it, he’d told Steve multiple times today that he was fine. 

“We don’t have to go, Danny” Steve suggested, hoping that the other man would change his mind. He certainly didn’t want to go.

“We didn’t make it last year, babe” Danny responded, “I think… I want to go this year, it’s kind of a … it’s like a milestone”

Steve nodded, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to, his partner wasn’t shy with words.

“Do you think…?” Danny stopped the question before he could finish it, clearly battling to keep his emotions under control. 

Steve knew where Danny was going with the question anyway, it was one of those _What if?_ questions. What if they’d caught a case? What if he’d zigged instead of zagged? What if it’d been his weekend with Charlie? What if they hadn’t kissed? There were so many questions, but asking them didn’t achieve anything. What’d happened, had already happened and they couldn’t change it. But he couldn’t tell Danny that, the man already knew and it was belittling to tell him the bleeding obvious.

Danny let out a deep, shaky breath, then quickly wiped his eyes, before finally turning the chair around to face Steve. “Anyway, I know what you’ve been up to” he said, his emotions totally hidden again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Steve lied, keeping his face completely blank. There was no way that Danny could know that the rest of the team were on standby, just waiting for his text to tell them to come to his place instead of the Ball.

Danny snorted, and responded sarcastically, “Oh sure, and I believe you too”

“Come on Danno, I mean, we could make it a thing. You know, saying we’re going to turn up at the Governor’s shindig and then just ditching it” Steve suggested, shifting his position against the doorway a bit so he could cross his arms.

“The Governor would panic, Steven, he’d think that something’s happened… again” Danny refuted.

Steve shrugged, “So we just tell him we’re not up to it, he’d understand. He’d probably be happy that he wouldn’t need to worry about you causing some international incident”

“Me?!” Danny exclaimed, and Steve couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face, his partner was starting to react the way he should. “I’m not the one that accused a senior minister of murder, Steven! And that was just last week!!”

“Kidnapping and murder” Steve corrected.

“Oh, I’m sorry, kidnapping and murder! What the hell is the matter with you?!” Danny exclaimed.

“Yes, but I was right” Steve reminded him.

“No you weren’t! He was an _accessory after the fact_!” Danny exploded.

“He covered it up, Daniel!” Steve bit back.

“You’re right, I must be mad. Why did I think it would be a good idea to put you in a room full of those kind of people?!” Danny asked himself, staring at the ceiling as though he would find the answer there.

“Exactly!” Steve exclaimed, “See? Let’s just stay here, order some pizza, have a couple of beers. You know, the team don’t have to come over if you don’t want them to”

Danny shook his head, “I don’t know why I put up with you”

“Because you love me” Steve responded with a grin, “So, is that a yes?”

Danny grumbled, then pointed at the uniform on the bed, “Yes it’s a yes, but you’re still wearing that!”

Steve grinned and sauntered towards his boyfriend, “Well, I was thinking…”

“Did that hurt?” Danny asked.

Steve’s grin widened, but he didn’t bother with an answer, instead he dropped his towel and said huskily, “I mean, the team won’t come before I text…and you know, before I get dressed, there’s no reason we couldn’t have a bit of fun…”

Danny’s eyes rolled up and down Steve’s body for a moment, before responding, “I’m always ready for a bit of fun”

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finished! I was going to write a bit about the team coming over and the fun with pizza and drinks and shenanigans, but the chapter felt done, so I had to listen to my muse. 
> 
> Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you thought! All feedback welcome! Apologies again for the huge delay between the last few chapters, hope it didn't detract from the story.
> 
> I'll be updating my other fics soon, hopefully within a week, so watch this space! Peace out! :P

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I've been playing with recently, hopefully the next chapter or two explains what happened. Fic will be about 6 chapters long..
> 
> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought! :P


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